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Radiological impact from natural radionuclide activity concentrations in soil and vegetables at former tin mining area and non-mining area in Peninsular Malaysia

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Abstract

The radionuclide concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were measured in eleven different types of vegetables from nine sample locations in Peninsular Malaysia by using gamma spectrometry with high purity germanium detector. Radiological impact and cancer risk arising from the ingestion of vegetables was also determined in this study. The annual ingestion dose of vegetables from former tin mining area and non-mining area were found to be 0.64 and 0.61 µSv y−1. Corresponding cancer risk estimated for adults were 2.24 × 10−6 and 2.15 × 10−6 for former tin mining area and non-mining area, respectively. Both of them were lower than predicted value recommended at international level by ICRP, 3.5 × 10−3. The present study concludes that vegetables planted at both areas would not pose any significant radiological impact to the population, despite the higher concentration of radionuclide in soil. External hazard indices from soil in this study are less than one. Thus, the soils are suitable for use in agriculture.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express sincere thanks to Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Malaysia for financial support, and Ministry of Agriculture & Agro-Based Industry Malaysia for their support. We acknowledge the earlier advices and contributions given by M. S. Yasir and W. Priharti.

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  1. School of Applied Physics, The National University of Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    A. R. Solehah & S. B. Samat

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  1. A. R. Solehah
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  2. S. B. Samat
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Correspondence to A. R. Solehah.

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Solehah, A.R., Samat, S.B. Radiological impact from natural radionuclide activity concentrations in soil and vegetables at former tin mining area and non-mining area in Peninsular Malaysia. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 315, 127–136 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-017-5654-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-017-5654-7

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